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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989681">Storming The Castle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/deej_nicolson/pseuds/deej_nicolson'>deej_nicolson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cat's Cradle || A P5 Arcanaswap NG+ AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akira is an actual dog, Alternate Universe - Arcana Swap (Persona Series), Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Human Morgana, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Makoto Niijima makes a brief appearance but that's it, New Game Plus, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Kitagawa Yusuke, Roleswap, morgana cv thank fuck that kaneshiro isnt in a goddamn speedo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:55:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/deej_nicolson/pseuds/deej_nicolson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>He had indeed seen the car that just drove off. The car that a much more fashionable looking Makoto Niijima stepped in, being driven by one Junya Kaneshiro, dressed in a freaking tracksuit, which would be the image that Morgana would think would haunt him until the day he eventually returned to his own reality.</i>
</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>Yusuke Kitagawa gets dragged into a palace by a transfer student and meets a talking dog. Fun! </p>
<p>NG+ Arcanaswap AU set in the same universe as Phantoms of Another Time</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kitagawa Yusuke &amp; Morgana, Kurusu Akira &amp; Morgana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cat's Cradle || A P5 Arcanaswap NG+ AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Storming The Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <b>TW: PHYSICAL ABUSE REFERENCE</b>
</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey! Slow down! Ugh... Dammit...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The hunched over lanky figure caused Morgana to raise an eyebrow. Was that -- Oh there is no way that... Yep, that was Yusuke Kitagawa, dressed in an extremely modified Shujin uniform, pins everywhere, very western punk style. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They looked up at Morgana, blinking for a second. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you see that? The car that just drove off?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana nodded, somewhat shakily. He had indeed seen the car that just drove off. The car that a much more fashionable looking Makoto Niijima stepped in, being driven by one Junya Kaneshiro, dressed in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>freaking </span>
  </em>
  <span>tracksuit, which would be the image that Morgana would think would haunt him until the day he eventually returned to his own reality. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Great… Just great.” Yusuke frowned, “Now that pervert teacher is getting away, </span>
  <em>
    <span>again.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pervert… Teacher?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana was genuinely curious, as Kaneshiro was a yakuza leader in his reality, not a teacher. Why would they allow that guy around students considering his only job was pretty much to rob from them? Well, considering Shujin kept Kamoshida around for so long until his change of heart... </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yusuke immediately scoffed, adjusting the sleeves of their blazer - which had a safety pin lodged into the button hole. “Kaneshiro…” They grumbled under their breath, “That bastard thinks he’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ruler </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the school. Like it’s his own personal castle…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana awkwardly wiggled his fingers, still amazed that he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>fingers</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he still wasn’t used to having fingers and toes and legs and arms and a </span>
  <em>
    <span>human </span>
  </em>
  <span>body that had his brain and memories intact. Yusuke paused, doing a double take, and immediately they transformed from the punk-like individual that stormed in front of him to chase after a teacher’s car, to the surprisingly polite Yusuke that Morgana knew. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, pardon me for assuming, but,” They bowed their head, “You do go to Shujin Academy, right?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana nodded, as Yusuke sized him up, and that’s when Morgana realized the pair were around the same </span>
  <em>
    <span>height</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Oh great, another weird thing about this universe -- he was apparently a freaking giant. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t seen you before… Oh, right!” They snapped their fingers. “You must be that transfer student!” Their face brightened. “Alright, let’s go then, we don’t want to be late.” They smiled for a second, before they winced.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately, Morgana recognised what was wrong. Akira had told him the story of how he accidentally stumbled into the metaverse alongside Ryuji, and that it all started because - like most things - Ryuji couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut. He too felt somewhat dizzy, quickly realizing that yes, he’d stumbled into the metaverse. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You felt that too, right?” Yusuke asked, turning to face Morgana. Morgana nodded, as Yusuke frowned. “Alright, let’s keep going.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that’s when they stumbled across the infamous castle, Yusuke immediately charging inside with the same level of curiosity that Morgana remembered from their exploits in mementos. But Morgana noticed that they had a slight limp in their left leg. Oh no. If Yusuke was in Ryuji’s position, did that mean? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swallowed, following Yusuke into the castle, running into some knights, getting knocked out and thrown into a dungeon for their troubles. A freaking dungeon. Why was it always a freaking dungeon? When he met Akira and Ryuji the first time? Dungeon. When he reawoke in the Velvet Room before the battle with Yaldaboth? Dungeon. And now this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was caged. Once more. A prisoner of fate. He laughed in his head as he watched Yusuke try and fail to reason with the Oedipus Rex that stood before him - Shadow Kaneshiro, dressed to the nines in an expensive kingly costume, almost like he stepped off a period drama set. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No pink speedo, thank goodness, that image would be burnt into Morgana’s memory alongside the image of him in a tracksuit. Even as the man beat the hell out of Yusuke, Morgana felt something warm in his chest. He was trapped. But he could be free, couldn’t he?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I see you’ve heard my call once more, my child.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Zorro. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Thank goodness he was here! Morgana accepted the pain, letting it wash over him as he found the familiar bandits mask glued to his face, pulling it off with such vigor that the scream that escaped his mouth was less of a cry of pain and more of a battle cry. The familiar being hovered behind him, like it was an old friend -- and indeed it was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The clothing would take some time to get used to, however. In his old form he was, as Futaba once described it, “butt naked aside from a scarf”, which while perfectly functional in ‘not a cat’ form, would be just embarrassing for a human to be walking around in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, he recognised the outfit as being almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>identical </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Joker’s -- a navy button down shirt with gold embellishments, black leather pants, navy blue pointed toe shoes, black long coat - but with a popped collar that was curved instead… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only difference, aside from the navy replacing the multiple shades of grey, was the fact that his gloves were a pale green, representing the wind powers he possessed while using Zorro. He snapped his fingers, a smile crossing his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We will promptly shut them up!” He grinned, throwing the knights back with a strong gust of wind, allowing the door to break open and for him and Yusuke to escape, Yusuke gripping the keys tightly as they locked the shadow of Kaneshiro in the very dungeon they were trapped in. Irony. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once they got a second to breathe, Yusuke stared at him;</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What… Was that?” They asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana looked down at himself, faking shock and surprise at his sudden change in appearance. “I… I have no idea.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a lie, but he prided himself on being an excellent liar. Even to himself, if the fact that he’d started all this with amnesia was proof. In order to distract Yusuke from that, he chose instead to run in the other direction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think there’s an exit this way!” He called, as Yusuke began to follow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>xxx</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The transfer didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>seem </span>
  </em>
  <span>like he had no idea what just happened, but Yusuke was willing to follow him further. He seemed way more powerful than they were at this point, which made sense as he’d just summoned a demon and all they had were their fists, their wits and one bum leg, which didn’t particularly help when it came to navigating a dungeon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, they’d found themselves searching through cages for an exit, Yusuke noticing that there were members of various sports teams getting abused in various darkly comic ways. They ground their teeth, looking over at the transfer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we stop here?” They asked, gesturing to the cells with the treadmill covered in spikes. “They look exhausted… And they’re being refused water. We should help them!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t bother.” A voice called, a rather deep voice, leading Yusuke to believe that there were more knights around. “Those guys aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>people! They’re just cognitions of the ruler’s view of them.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The transfer raised a brow, sneaking around the corner to spot… Okay then--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A dog. A rather fluffy looking black pomeranian standing on two legs - it thinks it's people? - with a red scarf around its neck and a white mask that appeared almost like the visage of a bird leaning on its head. There was a talking dog in the magic castle. There was a talking </span>
  <em>
    <span>dog </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the magic </span>
  <em>
    <span>castle</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Yusuke pinched themselves as they heard the transfer snort. In response to that, the dog folded its… Forelegs? Arms? Whatever they were.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, what’s so funny?” It muttered, “Can you just stop gawking and open the cage already?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>we should do this?” Yusuke muttered, seeing the transfer doubled over, hiding laughter behind a gloved hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It…” The transfer titted, “It seems harmless!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not an it! I am a </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” The creature sighed, now looking at the transfer. “Frizzy hair, can you </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> stop laughing and just open the cage already?!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, the transfer calmed down, finding his way to a key attached to the wall and unlocking the cage. That’s when the creature appeared before them -  yes, it was indeed a black pomeranian standing on two legs, but in the candlelight of the dungeon, Yusuke noticed that the creature had various pouches attached to a belt on its body. What would a dog need pouches for? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The transfer leant down and petted it as it was mid-stretch, celebrating its newfound freedom, causing it to flinch.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Hands off, pal-Oh…” It paused for a moment, now simmering in the sudden bliss of the transfer’s movement. Yusuke looked at the creature with a slight smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, when do I get to pet the prison puppy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a puppy!” The creature snapped, “My name is Akira. And I can help you get out of here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Are you sure we can trust him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to nearly get executed again?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The transfer’s glare caused Yusuke to shrug. Okay, time to follow the prison puppy who was not a puppy. And remember the demon that the transfer student summoned earlier? The prison puppy who was not a puppy had one too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was quite possibly, the strangest day of Yusuke Kitagawa’s life. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes! the palace rulers switch places as well! aside from madarame but thats bc vain art bastard™️ was too damn hard to replace without basically doing a three way swap :')</p>
<p>and here we have lovers!makoto (brief cameo) and chariot!yusuke! as well as magician!akira! i made magician!akira a dog because i thought that would be ironic! he is just a fuckin puppy - but dont call him that he gets offended by that. </p>
<p>currently writing my oneshot in which morgana accidentally gets gay panic for a certain vulgar art boy™️!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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